Vehicle.



No. 780,326. PATENTBD JAN. 1-7, 1905. F. G. DAVIS.

VEHICLE.

APPLIGATION FIL-BD PEB. 2, 1904.

#Maf/wry NiTe STATES Patented January 17, 1905.

ATnn'T Tinos.

FRANCIS G. DAVIS, `OF VVATERTOVV N, NEV YORK, ASSIGANOR TO H. H. BABCOCK COMPANY, OF WVATERIOUN, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

VEHIILE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 780,326, dated January 1'?, 1905.

Application filed February 2,1904. Serial No. 191,755.

1b a/ZZ whom 'it may concern,.-

Be it known that LFRANeIs (i. DAv1s,oi Watertown, in the county of Jefferson, in the State oi' New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Vehicles, of which the following, taken in connection with the ac' coinpanying drawings, is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to improvements in vehicles, and refers more particularly to certain improvements in the spring-gear set'l'orth in my Patent No. 415,096, issued November 12, 1889, in which the ends oi' the side springs and central spring-perch are rigidly secured, respectively, to the front bolster and to the rear axle and their intermediate portions tied together by transverse bars or braces.

The object of my present invention is to mount the body ot' the vehicle directly upon supplemental side springs which are seated on the main side springs, whereby a great-er elasticity in the action of the gear is secured and the strain upon the rigid connections of the side and perch springs with the bolster and rear axle is reduced to a minimum.

Other objects and uses will appear in the following description.

1n the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective View of a spring-gear embodying the i'eatures of my invention. Figs. 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 are detail sectional views taken, respectively, on lines 2 2, 3 3, 4 4, 5 5, and 6 6, Fig. 1.

,SimilarI reference characters indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

This gear comprises front and rear axles 1 and 2, a bolster' 3, side springs 4, a pereh spring' 5, tie-braces 6, and auxiliary body-sup porting springs 7. The front axle 1 and bolster 3 are connected by a king-bolt 8 and are equipped with suitable fifth-wheel sections 9, the lzing-bolt in this instance passing through central apertures in the front axle and bolster, as seen in Fig. 4. The perch-spring 5 connects the central portions of the axles and is continuous from end to end, the front end being rigidly secured to the under side ot' the front axle by the kingbolt 8 and also by an additional brace-bolt 10, which is secured to the front face ol the bolster and extends downwardly in front of the 'Front axle and is clamped to the front end oi' the perch-spring while the rear end oi said perch-spring is secured to the under side ol the rear axle by a suitable clip 11. The main side springs 4 conneet theopposite ends oi the bolster 3 to the rear axle 2 and are disposed substantially parallel with each other equidistant Afrom the central perch-spring 5, with their front ends rigidly secured to the under sides oi the bolster 3 by clips 12 and their rear ends also rigidly secured to the under side oi the rear axle 2 by suitable clips 13. The central portions of these side springs 4 are arched upwardly and are reinforced by asuitable number oi' leaves, depending upon the use to which the vehicle .is adapted, and the perch f spring 5 is also arched upwardly to bring its center in substantially the same horizontal plane as the lower faces ol" the side springs.

The tie-brace 6 consists of an open metal frame forming transverse bars tied together at the end and having their opposite ends rigidly secured to the under sides of the springs 4 by clips 14 and their intermediate portions rigidly secured to the under i'aces of the perchbar 5 by clips 15, thereby rigidly holding the parts 4 and 5in fixed relation to each other as against any indcpeinlent lateral movement.

The supplemental side springs 7 are semielliptical and are disposed parallel with the main side springs with the centers arched downwardly and their convex faces seated centrally on the upper faces oi' the main side springs and secured thereto by the clips 14, which also serve to clamp the ends of the brace 6 in place. These auxiliary side springs 7 are somewhat shorter than the main springs 4, and their i'ront and rear ends are formed It is now evident that the body is carried directly by the auxiliary springs, which afford a light resilient action for light loads, and that the heavier springs are brought into action as the load increases, thus producing a self-adjusting spring resistance proportionate to the load carried by the body.

By rigidly securing the ends of the main and perch springs to the rear axle the latter is free to rock to conform to different chords of the varying arcs as the centers of the springs are elevated and depressed, and this also avoids the use of pivotal shackles or stirrups, which soon become worn and cause more or less rattling of the parts. For this reason the braces and springs are rigidly tied together, and .this rigidity also establishes a uniform action of the springs as the load is shifted from one side to the other or in front or at the rear of the center of support.

The above description, taken in connection with the drawings, is believed to be suflcient to enable any one skilled in this art to make and operate the invention.

Having thus described my invention, what claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. The combination with the front and rear axles and bolster of a vehicle, of main side springs rigidly secured to the rear axle and bolster, a central perch-spring rigidly secured to the bolster and rear axle separate from the body of the Vehicle and to the main side springs, and auxiliary side springs resting on the main side springs and parallel with the perch-spring and having their ends free and disconnected from the perch, and means on the free ends of the auxiliary springs to support the body.

2. 1n combination with the front and rear axles and front bolster of a vehicle, a springplatform comprising main side4 springs having their front and rear ends secured respectively to the rear axle and to the bolster, a central lengthwise perch-spring secured tothe axles, auxiliaryv springs mounted centrally upon the main springs and having' their ends free and disconnected from the perch-spring, a tie-brace consisting of a single piece of material in the form of a substantially rectangular frame secured to the central port-ions of the main and auxiliary springs and perch-spring, and means in the free ends of the 'auxiliary springs for supporting the body of the vehicle.

3. In combination with the front and rear axles and front bolster of a vehicle, aspringplatform comprising side springs and a perchspring rigidly connected to the rear axle and bolster, shorter auxiliary side springs mounted centrally on the main springs and having their ends free from connection with the perchspring, supports for the vehicle-bod y mounted on the free ends of the auxiliary springs, a transverse tie-brace arranged centrally under the main side springs and secured to the perchspring at two points, and clamps securing the auxiliary springs and adjacent ends of the tiebrace to the main springs.

4. The central spring-perch, in combinationk with the front and rear axles and bolster, the perch being rigidly connected to the under side of the rear axle and passing centrally under the front axle and rigidly secured to the bolster, side springs rigidly connected to the rear axle and bolster, auxiliary side springs secured to the former side, springs and each having inwardly-projecting T-shaped arms at opposite sides of its center to support the body of the vehicle.

5. The combination with the front and rear axles and bolster of a vehicle, side springs having their rear ends rigidly secured to the under side of the rear axle and their front ends rigidly connected to the bolster, auxiliary side springs rigidly secured to 'the main side springs, and having means to support the body of the vehicle and a substantially rectangular one-piece brace having its opposite ends rigidly connected to the under side of the main side springs and its central portion secured to the perch-spring.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 28th day of January, 1904.

FRANCIS Gr. DAVIS.

Witnesses:

J. C. AYERs, WV. H. HATHWAY. 

